In A Blank, White Space
by angelslaugh
Summary: ...two people meet. Two Shot.
1. Lance

**So... This takes place in pretty much any universe (for my Naruto, anyway) that I have created (but may not have posted yet) - generally sad!Naruto who's failed to bring back Sasuke and nobody's really talking to her, and sad!Lance who meets her in a weird middle dimension thing. Naruto's broken, and Lance is near it.**

 **This features no explicit pairings but does speak about KakaNaru and Shklance.**

 **I hope you enjoy, and I own neither Voltron: Legendary Defender or Naruto.**

 **~:~**

It's one of those weird places he usually gets stuck in with Blue; it's white and silent and he's alone with nobody but Blue, and he's okay with that. Especially now, when Coran is busy with plans to defeat the Galra Empire, Shiro's busy training and Keith's with him, Allura's too busy piloting the castle-ship (Lance doesn't even know if Allura even know where she's going, really), Pidge and Hunk are doing their electronics thing and everyone's not talking to Lance.

Lance hates it.

He likes the sound of voices. It doesn't bug him. It makes him feel at home.

But when people are snapping at him and him alone, he hates it. Sure, he sulks with Blue. But Blue... If only Blue could talk, then he'd understand.

He sighs, feeling Blue's familiar presence.

And then there's the sound of crying.

Blue opens up, and Lance tentatively steps out of his giant blue lion.

There's a yellow-haired girl his age and touch-looking, wearing an orange and black jumpsuit that actually looks good on her. There isn't much else to signify she was a person aside from the worn symbol that was hanging off of her shoulder and the necklace that wasn't quite green and not quite blue.

 _Turquoise._

A creature is hanging on her shoulder. Nine tails are splayed behind it.

It's a fox, and it has nine tails. Its eyes are so helpless as they look at the girl.

Then they glance to Lance, and Lance's breath freezes in his throat.

They were full of _ragehatefearanguish._

 _Help her._

It's a faint request, and it's not from the fox on the girl's shoulder. It's from Blue, whose reassurance is all that Lance needs to poke the girl's shoulder.

She looks up, and for a moment Lance just sees the anguish reflected in his own gaze in her blue, blue eyes.

She sniffles and the fox leaps down as though he knows she's going to be in good hands.

"What's wrong?"

"They hate me." She sobs a little more. "They hate me... I couldn't bring him back!"

She scrubbed at her face hastily, but Lance sighed heavily.

"My friends won't _talk_ to me," he informed her. "I like people talking. Can you talk?"

She blinked, her hand pausing. Slowly, she nodded.

"Sure," she said uncertainly.

She talks. At first it's slow, and then it's fast as she talks about her life, skipping over the early years and never once mentioning parents. Lance jumps in, simply to clarify a few things, because she's not a native English speaker (and when she asks her, she stares at him and tells him she thought he was speaking Japanese, and for a moment there's a pause before they both shrug and she clarifies the things she says, to make sure he understands). He finds out her name, tells his in return.

Then, when she's finished, he talks - slowly at first, then fast and almost uncontrollably like her. Unlike her, he speaks of his family and Earth and Voltron and Galra - of Shiro and Keith, Pidge and Hunk, Allura, the mice, and Coran. There's pain in her eyes and he almost regrets it when _he_ finishes, but then she smiles.

"My parents were pretty cool people," she said, smiling. "Well... Not to you, your culture wouldn't understand why my parents were pretty cool."

"You're from a universe where magical people kicking ass exists," he deadpanned. "Where ninja are mercenaries and samurai have honor. I don't think anything can shock me at this point."

"My dad was an S-Rank ninja with a _Flee on Sight_ order. His nickname was _Kiroi Senpu_ \- the Yellow Flash. He used a jutsu that my Second Hokage - second leader of my village - created and Dad perfected it." She hesitates. "He also killed a lot of people to get that nickname. According to Mom he hates killing. Mom liked to beat him up when he said the wrong thing to her. Women shinobi are difficult to deal with." Naruto nods.

Lance frowns. "Any stories?"

Naruto blushes. "Well, no, just the one where they met. Mom and Dad kinda died when I was born. I met them once - my dad when I kicked some guy's ass and my mom when I was kicking _his_ ass." She points towards the sleeping fox that's laying in Blue's shadow (or where Blue's shadow would be). "I met Mom when I was six, and Dad this year."

Her face darkens. Lance supposes this was something that a parent could do for their child in that universe.

"You get magical powers, I get a giant cat. Nothing wrong with that, Blue, I wouldn't trade you for the universe," he hastily tells his beloved Blue. The Blue Lion laughs at Lance silently, and Lance pouts.

"Keith-san kinda sounds like a more human version of Sasuke," Naruto notes. "If Sasuke were powerless, less broody and fratricidal and... Well. _Not_ Sasuke. Hunk-san... Hmm, I'd have to say Hunk-san would be like Choji - Choji likes food a _lot._ He has to eat a lot for his family jutsu, -ttebayo. Pidge-san would be like... Hmmm... Shikamaru, if Shika wasn't such a lazy asshole and actually put his damned mind to things. Shiro-san sounds responsible, so he'd be like..." Lance stares as Naruto has to actually _think_ about that for a long moment. "...well, nobody I know is that responsible, really. Other than Shizune, and she's only there to yell at Tsunade-obaasan when she drinks."

"What about your sensei?"

Naruto blushes faintly, and Lance snickers as he realizes she likes her sensei.

"Wait!" she says, pausing, the blush receding. "Shiro-san reminds me of my first sensei, Iruka! Allura-sama reminds me of Tsunade-obaasan in the fact that Allura-sama is a princess, -ttebayo. Coran-san reminds me of Gai-sensei. Tell me, does Coran-san wear a hideous green jumpsuit onesie that's made entirely of spandex?"

That description and Lance's imagination does the work.

His face goes green, and Naruto laughs.

Lance sighs as she stops, and both lay back.

"Do you like them?"

Lance blinks and turns his head to Naruto. She leans down on her elbow, looking inquisitive, her bright blue eyes boring into his own.

"I do," he says, knowing what she means. Shiro's... Shiro. Which means he's hot, and was supportive to whatever Lance was doing. Keith's fire and anger and generally the moodiest of the bunch and Lance loves that Shiro and Keith balance each other out and why Lance couldn't take Keith away. "What about your beloved Sensei?"

No, he doesn't ask about her first sensei. He means the Sensei she hasn't spoken the name of. _Sensei_ Sensei, the man who taught _Sasuke_ (who she hates as a rival but loves as a brother, which isn't complicated because Lance _knows_. Before it turned romantic on his end, Keith was his hated rival/loved brother. Guess for Naruto it hasn't worked out), but also the man who was there for her when Haku and Zabuza died ( _he killed Haku trying to kill Zabuza. We're ninja, it's not supposed to bother us,_ she insisted. But Lance can see she's lying, but doesn't call her out on it. She's only human, after all, and he could see the flash of sorrow when Haku's name is spoken and the slight reverence for Zabuza in her voice when she speaks of _him._ He knows she's young, but to be desensitized at a young age when puberty was just starting to death was kind of impossible.) and was there to retrieve her broken body from the Valley of the End ( _basically the place where the Shodai nearly got brutally murdered by_ ** _his_** _rival,_ Naruto cheerfully notes at his questioning face, _and it's called that because the Shodai killed him_ ), only to ignore her after saving Gaara and failing to keep her promise to Sasuke.

"Kaka-sensei thinks of me only as his own sensei's daughter," she says, a bitter look on her face. "Not like he cares anymore. I'm either going to die by Sasuke's hand or hunter-nin, as it's looking like that fucktard Danzou's still going to be wearing _my_ hat."

Lance knows enough about her already to realize she's talking about the Hokage seat.

"Why don't you talk to him?" he asks her.

She blinks at him like it's his stupidest idea ever.

"Why in hell would I do _that?"_ she asks. "Everyone in Konoha hates me, aside from Hinata. I would never have guessed she was lesbian."

Lance snorts, well aware Naruto doesn't exaggerate. (not here, where it's all truth from both of them.)

"Talk to them," he repeats, this time insisting. "Friends should be there for friends. If they're your real friends, tell them the truth."

Lance can see it dawning on her face.

"And tell that sensei of yours how you feel, too. The worst he can do is reject you."

Naruto says nothing, only staring at him.

"Let's make a deal," she says suddenly. "You tell yours, and I'll tell mine. If we meet again, we have to tell the others how it went."

Lance agrees, and shakes her hand.

With no warning, he's back in Blue. Naruto's gone, too, but he remembers their conversation.

He only hopes she does.

~"~

It takes a while. Lance hates to admit it, but it does. He's ignored or snapped at.

He almost doesn't wait until one night at dinner to tell them all.

 _Almost._

( _You'll probably have to do something drastic,_ Naruto points out to Lance during their long conversation. _If you think you're invisible, you'll have to shout to be heard. They should listen to you._

 _Your friends should understand your side,_ Lance tells her. Naruto rolls her eyes.

 _They think I should rot in the bowels of Hell because I did not bring back a power-hungry teenager they all think I love back with me to the hell I live in,_ Naruto points out. _And whenever I point out Orochimaru is probably a pedophile, they say 'poor Sasuke'._

 _Geniuses suck,_ Lance says after a moment. _They don't get shit._

 _Your Keith is a genius?_ He nods. She smiles. _So is my sensei. Sasuke's not - he's an average member of his clan. Geniuses do not understand the feelings of others, perhaps that is what you need to get through to them. Use this Voltron as an excuse._

Lance looks at Blue. She approves.)

It's full of Allura talking about forming Voltron and how to bond closer with each other.

Lance can already see everyone pairing up, so he clears his throat and everyone looks at him.

"What, Lance?" Pidge looks slightly surprised. Lance doesn't get mad - he's going through with what Naruto, himself, Kurama (even though he spoke through Naruto and Naruto alone... Or so Naruto says), and Blue concocted.

"Until you guys think about the past few weeks, I'm not going to even _try_ to form Voltron with you guys." He smiles, and it's actually genuine. "Think of the activities you've been doing and who with." He stands and finishes his green goop. He claps Hunk on the shoulder on his way out, thanking him quietly.

Allura's the one to stand, though.

"You are a Paladin - you cannot abandon your lion!" she proclaims.

For an instant, Lance allows his irritation to flash across his face.

"Blue and I are in agreement," he says in a flat voice. "In fact, Blue was the one to help me come to this conclusion."

His own icy rage flashes across his face, and he lets it show as he looks on everyone but the mice.

(He really couldn't hate the mice. Too adorable.)

~:~

He stays with Blue through another day, and then there's a knock on the door.

Opening Blue, he notices Hunk and Coran standing there.

He blinks.

"Please forgive me!" Hunk bursts out, looking on the verge of tears. "You're my bestest friend in the whole galaxy!"

"I do appreciate your existence," Coran says with a grin.

Lance stares at them for another minute, then smiles.

"You're forgiven!" he says happily. He glances at Coran for a minute. His lips twitch, and he feels amusement from Blue.

(She's laughing, really. Naruto's words are filtering through his mind right now, and she's seeing the slightly horrifying image. It's laughable.)

"Okay, so I've been a terrible friend," Hunk starts, "but I really want in on the joke."

Lance smirks. "Coran in a green onesie spandex jumpsuit."

Hunk blinks. Coran looks appropriately horrified.

Hunk laughs. Lance snickers.

Coran joins in when he realizes it's not at him, it's at the _image_ of Coran wearing one of them.

(Lance suspects he doesn't have a clue what _spandex_ was.)

Pidge runs in, and Lance goes silent.

"I'm sorry," Pidge says after a moment, looking at the ground. "I've been terrible to you, Lance."

Lance's heart melts.

"It's okay."

~"~

Allura and Shiro apologize, and it's in the middle of battle three weeks later when Keith does.

Lance doesn't care for an apology just to form Voltron but it's necessary. Lance pretends to accept his apology, they defeat the Galra monster, and Lances leaves the Voltron formation immediately after the coast is clear, causing some protests.

"Keith didn't mean his apology," Lance translates as Blue's anger flashes through all of them, shutting them up for the moment. "Blue's angry because we were just used to form Voltron. I mean, come on. Is that all Blue and I are to you guys? A way to form Voltron? I should remind all of you of a fact: If Blue hadn't chosen me, Voltron would be in the hands of the Galra Empire. Because Blue sure as hell didn't chose _Keith,_ or _Shiro._ She chose _me._ I'm not just a seventh wheel, guys." Lance sighs and puts his head in his hands. "Think this isn't bad for me, that I don't want to go home? I want to. I also want Pidge to find her family, for Shiro to regain all his memories, for Keith to get the answers, and Hunk to become a great chef. But you all seem to forget _me._ I'm fighting for Earth."

He turns Blue away, heading to the castle.

He has no idea if Naruto has talked to her people or even if it was just a dream.

But he thinks that she kept her promise.

If they met again, Lance hopes that she kept her promise.


	2. Naruto

**Suggestive themes.**

 **~:~**

Naruto is alone. She knows that they hate her; they act like they're still friends. But she feels the anger and rage that they're holding back, and when she sees Kakashi after Pein, after he carries her, after the fatigue, there's that same feeling.

He tells her, harshly, that he doesn't have time. No time to listen, no time to tell stories.

She's alone in her apartment, and Kurama tells her to let it out.

So she cries.

It's choking, hiccuping sobs that eventually smooth out to sobs alone, and that's when she feels it. Someone taps her shoulder.

She looks up, and they're in an unfamiliar area. Kurama's around her shoulders in a chibi form. The boy in front of her, around her age, is not a ninja. There is a softness to him that makes her realize that while he is a civilian he is also a warrior, and she instantly respects him.

He's like her, with aching sadness in his eyes and she can feel it in him.

He looks at her for a minute, then Kurama, who hops down from her shoulder right as she sniffles.

"What's wrong?" he asks. He's kind, and it takes her a moment to respond.

"They hate me." She sobs a little more. "They hate me... I couldn't bring him back!"

She brushes the tears from her face; she doesn't want to show more weakness in front of him, despite knowing deep in her she knows she can trust him. He sighs heavily, as though he's tired.

"My friends won't _talk_ to me," he informed her. "I like people talking. Can you talk?"

She pauses. Most of her friends don't like her own constant chatter.

"Sure," she says uncertainly.

She talks. At first it's slow, and then it's fast as she talks about her life, skipping over the early years and never once mentioning parents. She prefers not to tell him that she's an orphan and she doesn't want to seem like she's complaining or exaggerating about the lack of care given. She gives some background when she tells him of their world, and him asking for clarifications confuses her before she realizes whatever this place was letting them speak their native languages for each other. She learns his name is Lance, and he learns her name is Naruto. She learns that the blue lion's name is Blue, and Kurama allows her to tell Lance his name.

When she's done, Lance speaks, telling her about his planet, Earth.

 _(What kind of planet is called 'Earth'?_ Kurama asks in her mind.

 _Hush,_ she tells him. _It's_ ** _his_** _planet._ )

Lance speaks of his family, how big it is. A little history of the planet, what he was doing. About Shiro (Naruto thinks of responsible Iruka when Lance told her about Lance jokingly calling him 'Space Dad', and idly wonders if he means it. But she discards it as he speaks of Shiro and Keith lovingly, a small smile on his face. She's not sure if he notices it or not) Hunk (who kind of sounds like Choji, with Choji's love of food) Pidge (kinda like a non-lazy Shikamaru) Keith (Less emo than Sasuke) Coran (like a not extreme, completely alien kind type of Gai-sensei) and Allura (who was probably a lot like Tsunade).

She's in pain, but she tries her best to hide it, when he talks about his loving parents.

"My parents were pretty cool people," she says, smiling. "Well... Not to you, your culture wouldn't understand why my parents were pretty cool." No, his culture hadn't fought like ninja. Not like _her_ ninja had.

"You're from a universe where magical people kicking ass exists," he deadpans. "Where ninja are mercenaries and samurai have honor. I don't think anything can shock me at this point." She smiles, and decides to tell him about her mom and dad.

"My dad was an S-Rank ninja with a _Flee on Sight_ order. His nickname was _Kiroi Senpu_ \- the Yellow Flash. He used a jutsu that my Second Hokage - second leader of my village - created and Dad perfected it." She hesitates. "He also killed a lot of people to get that nickname. According to Mom he hates killing. Mom liked to beat him up when he said the wrong thing to her. Women shinobi are difficult to deal with." Naruto nods. She knows women have to be tough in her world if they're ninja; weakness isn't tolerated there.

But Naruto gets that sometimes there's a moment of weakness for every ninja, and her mom must have been weak. If only a little bit.

After all, her mom was human.

Lance frowns. "Any stories?"

Naruto blushes. "Well, no, just the one where they met. Mom and Dad kinda died when I was born. I met them once - my dad when I kicked some guy's ass and my mom when I was kicking his ass." She points towards the sleeping fox that's laying in Blue's shadow (or where the lion's shadow would be). "I met Mom when I was six, and Dad this year."

Her face darkens at the reminder. _Pein..._

Lance speaks, taking her attention away.

"You get magical powers, I get a giant cat. Nothing wrong with that, Blue, I wouldn't trade you for the universe," he adds, looking at Blue like she's the greatest thing in the world. He pouts a little. Naruto supposes that the Lion and Lance have a bond of some sort.

"Keith-san kinda sounds like a more human version of Sasuke," Naruto notes. "If Sasuke were powerless, less broody and fratricidal and... Well. Not Sasuke. Hunk-san... Hmm, I'd have to say Hunk-san would be like Choji - Choji likes food a lot. He has to eat a lot for his family jutsu, -ttebayo. Pidge-san would be like... Hmmm... Shikamaru, if Shika wasn't such a lazy asshole and actually put his damned mind to things. Shiro-san sounds responsible, so he'd be like..." Naruto pauses for a moment, actually thinking it over again. "...well, nobody I know is that responsible, really. Other than Shizune, and she's only there to yell at Tsunade-obaasan when she drinks."

"What about your sensei?"

For a moment, Naruto blushes, thinking of Kakashi in a manner that would have Ero-sennin blushing. Lance snickers, seeming to _know._

"Wait!" she says, pausing, the blush receding. "Shiro-san reminds me of my first sensei, Iruka! Allura-sama reminds me of Tsunade-obaasan in the fact that Allura-sama is a princess, -ttebayo. Coran-san reminds me of Gai-sensei. Tell me, does Coran-san wear a hideous green jumpsuit onesie that's made entirely of spandex?" She realizes that she'd forgotten her earlier thoughts on the people Lance had spoken of. Oh, well. She blinks at her sudden last question.

It does the trick. Lance's imagination must be very vivid. His face goes green, and Naruto laughs.

When she stops, Lance sighs. Both of them lay back, but Naruto is unable to stay laying down.

"Do you like them?" she asks, leaning over him. Her bright blue eyes bore into his dark blue eyes.

"I do," he says. "What about your beloved Sensei?"

She told him about Kakashi, not saying his name. He was just Sensei. She's told him of what he's done, how he's pushed her away.

"Kaka-sensei thinks of me only as his own sensei's daughter," she says bitterly. "Not like he cares anymore. I'm either going to die by Sasuke's hand or hunter-nin, as it's looking like that fucktard Danzou's still going to be wearing my hat." Yes, she's swearing. But she hates Danzou.

(Everyone does. Even Sai. It's amazing he hasn't told Danzou about her getting more powerful.)

Lance knows enough about her already to realize she's talking about the Hokage seat.

"Why don't you talk to him?" he asks her.

She blinks at him like it's his stupidest idea ever.

"Why in hell would I do _that_?" she asks. "Everyone in Konoha hates me, aside from Hinata. I would never have guessed she was lesbian." Honestly, Hinata being lesbian was about the only thing that shocked Naruto during the fight with Pein.

Lance snorts, well aware Naruto doesn't exaggerate. (not here, where it's all truth from both of them.)

"Talk to them," he repeats, this time insisting. "Friends should be there for friends. If they're your real friends, tell them the truth."

Tell them...? Tell them _why_ she couldn't bring Sasuke back? Tell them about the Kyuubi...?

( _They must know by now. They're not dim,_ Kurama states.

 _I'm thinking, Kurama. Please don't.)_

"And tell that sensei of yours how you feel, too. The worst he can do is reject you."

That is true. Very, very true.

"Let's make a deal," she says suddenly. "You tell yours, and I'll tell mine. If we meet again, we have to tell the others how it went." If they meet again... Naruto hopes this wasn't just a one-time meeting.

Lance agrees, and he shakes her hand.

With no warning, she's back in her apartment.

~:~

It takes her a while. Maybe like a week for her to finally gather up the courage.

She's not drunk, and neither is Kakashi. He's in the village, one of the rare moments he's not gone, and several other jounin are around him.

She's livid as hell because women are _clinging_ to him and the others, and he's _laughing._

She throws a kunai down - her father's kunai.

The jounin stop and tense.

"HATAKE KAKASHI!" she yells, jumping down and getting into her yellow-cloaked mode. It lights up the area, showing him just how upset she is. "I don't care if you reject me, and I don't care if you're obsessed with having one-night stands or think I'm too young. I'm sixteen, I stopped Pein, so will you _please stop acting like we shouldn't be together because I'm your sensei's daughter!"_

For a moment, time is frozen. Kakashi stares at her like she's grown a second head, and she realizes she's in her yellow-cloaked mode, the one she could probably defeat Danzou with.

She deactivates it, pretends to stagger, and Kakashi's right there, holding her up.

"...um," Naruto says. She hasn't exactly thought this far ahead.

Neither, it seems, has Kakashi.

"Um," Kakashi agreed.

There's an awkward silence.

"I don't see your father. I simply see how much I failed as your teacher. I would probably fail as a lover, too." Kakashi looks very sad.

Naruto grins and loops her arms around Kakashi's neck.

" _Icha Icha Violence,_ page 65," she whispers into Kakashi's ear.

Kakashi flies backward, dropping Naruto on the ground.

Naruto leaps up. "Hey!"

Kakashi is laying in a pool of his own blood. Everyone in the street looks at Naruto with horrified embarrassment - well, except Anko, because she's _Anko._

"Want some help?" Anko asks Naruto.

Naruto mentally grins. Her friends can wait for later. Kakashi has to wrap his head around the fact that he'll have a younger lover soon, anyway.

She doesn't know if Lance kept his end.

She believes he either has or will.


End file.
